WEST ALLIS - The two people who stood accused of trying to burn the body of a murder victim and driving it all the way to South Dakota are no longer charged with hiding a corpse, due to a plea bargain.

Tiffany Simmons and Shanta Dwan Pearson, both of West Allis, had originally been accused of going to more trouble to hide a body than anyone within recent memory. The criminal complaint accuses the pair in the kidnapping, torture and murder of a pregnant West Allis woman, Tess White, 26, in May 2016.

Simmons, 37, pleaded guilty March 21 to first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime and to kidnapping, also as a party to a crime. She will be sentenced Monday, June 4.

Pearson, 46, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 15, to kidnapping and to an unrelated bank robbery charge. In the plea negotiations, the original charge of murder, party to a crime, was dropped and kidnapping substituted. That change also happened May 15. He will be sentenced July 20.

Basis for charges

Both had been charged with hiding a corpse. Simmons admitted to police that she and White had gotten into an argument about an alleged theft of $200. The complaint said that White intended to confront Simmons about the theft. The two ended up fighting in a truck driven by Pearson and that she and Pearson had overcome White, the complaint said. She then admitted to torturing White by putting out lighted cigarettes on White's bare skin and by punching her in the back, the complaint said. The torture session lasted about 45 minutes, she told police.

After that, she suffocated White with plastic bags and a rope, the complaint said. White died late on May 4 inside the truck in a parking lot across from Person's residence at 1737 S. 81st St.

The defendants said they were high on drugs throughout the incident, the complaint said.

On May 6, the pair left Wisconsin with White's body inside a storage bin. They stopped in a rural area west of Rice, Minnesota, and tried to burn the body, but were only partly successful, the complaint said. They picked up the remains and continued on to South Dakota, the complaint said. There they set the body on fire a second time, using kerosene and lighter fluid, the complaint said.

Remains found

On May 17, two farmers were inspecting a newly planted bean field in rural Grant County, South Dakota, when they found the charred remains next to the tub. A DNA profile was created to identify the remains, the complaint said.

Meanwhile, on May 11, Pearson and Simmons had already been apprehended by Denver, Colorado, police. Their truck was stopped for failing to dim headlights for oncoming traffic. Police discovered both driver and passenger were wanted by police. They were arrested and the truck impounded.

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